Fire-alarm apparatus.



No. '763,042.` PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904.

L. CAMPBELL. PIRE ALARM APPARATUS.-

l APPLIoATIoN FILED SEPT, s. 190s. Nq Holm.. v 2 snn'rsnnm' 1.

VIIIIIIIII/llII/I//ll/ ams PETERs ou, Norouwa. wnmomn. o. c.

PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904..

2 sums-SHEET 2.-

@adam m @ZZ L GAMPBBLL.' HRB ALARM APPARATUS.

v APPLIOATIUN FILED SEPT. 8. 1903. y

No MODEL'.

me Nonms PETRs C0, Puomuwu.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

Patented June 21, 1904.*

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUDOUN CAMPBELL, OF WASHINGTON, `DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

` FIRE-ALARM. APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 763,042, dated June 21,1904.

Application iiled September 8, 1903. Serial No. 172,224. (No model.)

My invention relates to lire-alarm boxes,

I and has for its object the provision of a local alarm in connectionwith such boxes so arranged as to insure the prompt turning in of analarm of fire and at the same 'time affordprotection against falsealarms by making certain the detection of any one turning in such falsealarm.

In some fire-alarm boxes now in useA provided with local alarms it isnecessary for the person turning in the alarm to depress a hook upon theinterior of the tire-alarm box after the door thereof is opened. Owingto the ignorance of the public asA to the proper method of turning inthe alarm of fire, it has been found that many persons omit to performthe essential function of depressing the lioolnbecause they suppose thatthe lire-alarm has been turned in when the local alarm sounds uponopening the door of the main box.

To obviate the foregoing difiiculties, this invention comprises a mainalarm, a local alarm,

and a single lever controlling both alarms,

whereby they are sounded simultaneously.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in thedetailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective vie'w of afire-alarm box with the main door thereof open and having my inventionapplied thereto. Fig. 2 isv a transverse vertical section of the upperpart of the main box, showing how a saddle, hereinafter described, issecured thereto. Fig. Sisafront elevation of the box with part of thecasing containing the local-alarm mechanism in section. Fig. 4 is 4ahorizontal section of the door of the main box and thefastening devicetherefor. Fig. 5. is an elevation of the bolt shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 6and 6 are re- -spectively side and end elevations of a key hereinafterdescribed. Fig. 7 is a front elecasing 8, carried upon the saddle.

vation of a hollow lug containing the winding mechanism of the localalarm. Fig. 8 is a plan view of said lug, and Fig. 9 is a verticalsection of a box or casing whichis mounted upon the main box andcontains mechanism for illuminating the vicinity of the box when themain alarm is sounded.

Lilie numerals designate similar parts .throughout the several figuresof the drawings. i

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a lire-alarm box,upon which is mounted a saddle 6, secured thereto by a bolt 7, whichpassesgthrough the top of the main box, the saddle, and a lug cast upona box or Referring now more particularly to Fig. 9, it will be seen thatthe casing 8 contains two springpressed rods 9 and 10, having eyes 11and 12 at their lower ends and having their upper ends so formed thatwhen said rods are released and forced up by the springs 13 and 14 theend of rod 10 will imping'e against a catch 15, carried by the top 16 ofthe box, and force said catch' out of engagement with a lug or bar17,carried by the box, thereby freeing the top and permitting it to bethrown back by a spring 18 upon the `pintle thereof. At the same timerod 9, `which is provided with spurs or points upon its upper end,ignites a charge of powder, which burns slowly and brilliantlyilluminates the vicinity of the box.

A slide or door 20 serves to lock the spring-` pressed rods in theirretracted position, as is clearly shown in Letters Patent of the UnitedStates No. 692,765, issuedtoy me on the 4th day of February, 1902, forfire-alarm apparatus.

'Ihe charge of powder is contained in a small box 21, which may bereadily removed and anotherfcharge inserted when it is desired to resetthe box after an alarm has been turned in. Cast upon the saddle 6 arelugs 22 and 23, into which are threaded tubes 24 and 25, connected atthe top by a horizontalA tube 26.'

Upon the upper part of the tube 24 is a casing 27, containing themechanism for sounding the local alarm. r1`his mechanism comprises y adrum 28, mounted for rotation in said casing 27 and carryingva spurgear-wheel 29, which meshes with a smaller' spur gearwheel 30 upon arotative shaft 31. through the wall of the casing 27 and carries uponits outer end astriker-bar 32, upon which are mounted tumblers 33 and34, adapted to sound the bell 35 when the striker-bar is rotated, aswill be readily understood.

Wound upon the drum 28 on one side of the gear-wheelv 29 is a cable 36,to the free end of which is attached a weight 36', which tends` torotate the drum and, through the mechanism described, sound the bell.Normally the drum is held against rotation by a cable 37, attachedthereto upon the opposite side of the gear-wheel 29, said cable passingover idle pulleys 38 and 39, mounted in the Ls connecting tubes 24, 25,and 26, and being wound upon a drum 40, mounted in a recess 41 of lug23.

As will be seen by referring to Figs. 7 and 8, lug 23 has a dovetailgroove formed therein for the reception of a slide or shield 42, carried by the slide or door 20, said shield having a keyhole formedtherein, which only registers with a keyhole 43, formed in lug 23, whenthe slide or door 20 is locked in the lower position,

at which time the key 44 may be placed upon the angular shaft 40' ofdrum 40 to wind the cable 37 thereon and to wind up the weight 36. Thiskey 44 is provided with ratchet-V teeth 45, adapted to be engaged by apawl 46, setinto the face of lug 23, as will behereinafter described.Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 47 designates the inner box, whichcarries the mechanism for sounding the main alarm, and 48 the hook, thedepression of which sets said mechanism in motion. Shunt-pins 49 shuntthe box out of circuit when they are pressed inward by the closing ofthe main door 50, and itis necessary that the door be opened a shortdistance before the box is shunted into circuit with lire-alarmheadquarters.

To open the main door and shunt the box into circuit and to sound themain and local alarms simultaneously, the lever 51 is provided. Thislever is pivoted upon a shaft 52, mounted in bearings upon the door50and one end of the shaft carries a pin 53, (see Figs. 4 and 5,) whichenters a cam-groove 54, formed in the bolt 55, which secures the maindoor 50. Upon the opposite end of shaft 52 is a cam 56, which when thelever 51-is pulled out and down presses against a flat spring 57,secured to the face of the inner box.

Secured to the inner face of door 50 and insulated therefrom is a lock58, the bolt 59 of which is made to conform to the 'curvature of thehook 48 and serves to depress said hook when the door is opened, as willbe set forth in the description of the operation of the device. Tosecure the lever 51 against accidental displacement, the spring-pressedlatch 6() is provided, which engages the lug 61 when the door is closedand prevents lever 51 from be- This shaft 31 extends ing moved exceptbya downward andI outd ward pull. The free end of lever 51 carries pins6,2, 63, and 64, which engage the eyes 11 and 1,2 of rods 9 and 10 andan eyelet 65, formed in the cable 37.

The operation of the device is as follows: When it is desired to turn inan alarm of fire, the handle of latch 60 is grasped and pulled down,which serves to release the lever 51, which is in turn pulled down andout. This action withdraws the pins carried-upon the free end of saidlever from the eyes of the spring-pressed rods and the cable 27, therebyreleasing the weight 36 and, through the rotation of the gear-wheels andstriker-bar controlled thereby, causing the bell 35 to sound. At thesame time the spring-pressed rods 9 and 10 operate to open the top ofcasing 8and ignite the powder charge to illuminate the vicinity of thefire-alarm box. When the lever 51 is pulled down, as just described, thecam 56 presses against the spring 57 and corn-V presses said springuntil the lever is pulled down far enough to cause the ypin 53, workingin the cam-groove of bolt 55, to retract said bolt enough to release thedoor 50, when the spring 57 will act to force said door open, therebypermitting the shunt-pins to be forced out by springs 49' until a bar492, carried by said pins, contacts with the ends of the bind` ing-posts493, thereby shunting the box into circuit and depressing the hook 48 bymeans of the bolt 59,which normally lies in the curve of said hook. Aswill readily be seen, if the door 50 should now be closed by the personturning in thealarm the bolt 59 would strike the outer end of the hook48, which has now returned to its upper position, and to prevent thisthe latch-bolt 66 is provided, which as soon as the lever is pulled downslips under the'cam 56, as shown in Fig. 1, and prevents the lever frombeing shoved up until said bolt 66 is retracted by some one in authorityhaving akey for that'purpose.

The operation of resetting the box is as follows: The slide 20 is lirstlocked into its lower position, thereby bringing the eyes of thespring-pressed rods intothe path of the pins 62 and 63 of lever 51 andalso causing the l keyhole formed in shield 42 to register with keyhole43 of lug 23. The ratchet-key 44 is then placed upon the angular end ofthe shaft of drum 40 and the cablev 37 is Wound upon said drum, therebyWinding cable 36 upon drum 28 to wind up the weight 36'. Cable 37 iswound upon drum 40 until the eyelet 65 thereof is brought into the pathof the pin 64, carried by lever 51. The pawl 46 engages theratchet-teeth of key 44 to hold 'the drum 40 against rotation untillever 51 is moved into position to cause the pin 64 to enter eyelet65 ofcable 37 Before this is done, however, a

key is inserted in keyhole 7 0` to retract bolt 59 of lock 58. Thelatch-bolt 66 is then, through the medium of a key, inserted in a IOOTIO

keyhole 71, retracted from the path of cam 56, after which door isclosed. Lever 51 is moved into position to cause the pins 62, 68, and 64to enter the eyes of -rods 9 and l0 and the eyelet 65 of cable 37. Key44 is then removed, a fresh charge of powder is inserted in casing 8,slide is locked in its upper position, and the top of casing 8 isclosed, after whichbot 59 is thrown to cause it to enter the recessformed by the curve of the hook 48. If desired, a perforated casing 75may be placed over bell 35.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that this inventionembodies means insuring the prompt turning in of the main alarm and atthe Sametime actuating a local alarm of such nature as to effectuallydeter malicious department without protection against falseA alarms.

While the various elements shown and described are Well ada ted toattain the end sought, it is to be un erstood that my invention is notlimited thereto, for changes may be made in the details thereof withoutdeparture therefrom.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. In a lire-alarm box,the combination, with a mail-1 alarm, of a local alarm, and a levercontrolling both alarms and the door of the lire-alarm box.

2. In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with a main alarm, of a localalarm, a lever controlling both alarms and the door of the firealarmbox, and means for locking said lever against accidental displacement.

3. In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with a main alarm` of asounding and illuminating local alarm, and a lever controlling both ofsaid alarms and the door of the Afire-alarm box.

4. In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with a main alarm, of asoundingand illuminating local alarm, a lever mounted upon the exterior face ofthedoor of said box, controlling said alarms, and means for locking saidlever against accidental displacement.

5.y In aiire-alarm box, the combination, with main-alarm mechanism, oflocal-alarm mechanism, and a lever so arranged that a single movement ofsaid lever will open Ithe doory of the lire-alarm box and set said alarmmechanisms in motion.

6. In are-alarm box, the combination,with main-alarm mechanism, oflocal-alarm mechanism and a lever pivoted upon the door of the box andadapted When actuated to operate both the main and local alarms and toforce the door of the box'open.

7 In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with main-alarm mechanism, oflocal-alarm mechanism situated upon the exterior of said box and a levercarried by the door of the box adapted to simultaneously set said alarmmechanisms in motion and to open said door.

8. In a fire-alarm box, the combination,with

a main alarm, of a local alarm, and a member controlling both alarms andthe door of the fire-alarm box.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LOUDOUN CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN M. FoLLIN,

A. M. DANIELs.

